Monday, July 15, 2013

June is a very slow month for birds around Brooklyn and NYC. More specifically, for new birds. The birds that breed in our local parks and backyards are very active raising their offspring and coastal areas are noisy with nesting terns and gulls. It is rarely a time for observing new species. In Brooklyn I found a Cattle Egret early in the month and at the end of the month heard the bubbly, happy song of my first Marsh Wren of the year. Add to that the Black Vulture, Mississippi Kite and Blue Grosbeak I saw on Staten Island and I finished the month of June with 224 species for the year (218 in Brooklyn). During the month of July we'll be seeing an increase in shorebird diversity and abundance as birds begin their South-bound, "Fall" migration.

A pair of Black-crowned Night Herons out for a stroll in the North 40 at Floyd Bennett.